News & Events
Keep up-to-date with GO
Found our Forever Home
The organisation will move from its current location at Northside to the Southside on the Bridge in St Sampson's. The new location will be opposite the Weighbridge Clocktower, behind the Bathroom Emporium and is currently occupied by Bonsai interior designers. The aim is to complete the transition by the end of December, opening in January.
"We are delighted to have secured these modern premises, which will allow us to train more people and equip them with the skills they need to succeed," said Chris Murphy, GO's General Manager. "We will continue improving our product range to serve our loyal client base. Staying on the Bridge is great news, offering excellent parking facilities for customers and easy public transport links for our trainees and staff."
The new facility, which offers 6,000 square feet of space, will enable the social enterprise to increase the number of trainees who benefit from GO's training programs, allowing them to acquire the skills needed to apply for the many jobs on offer on the island. Individual trainees come from diverse backgrounds, including those with learning disabilities, mental health issues, and conditions such as autism. GO also assists ex-offenders and those who are educationally disadvantaged.
Existing training areas for activities such as Retail, IT, Bicycle and Furniture refurbishment will be recreated on the new site. GO will transfer its training areas and retail stock to the new site in December, and full trading will commence in January 2024.
Having recycled over 500 tonnes of materials that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill, GO is committed to continuing and expanding this sustainable activity.
"We are delighted to have secured an ideal home for GO well into the medium term," said Paul Meader, Chairman of GO's Board of Directors. "Our charity will now be able to continue to increase the number of people we help back into the world of work while continuing to meet the needs of our loyal customers through our recycling and upcycling activities."
Staff Training - Autism Guernsey - Lived Experience of Autism
GO hosted a talk by Autism Guernsey which provided valuable insights on Autism. The discussion covered topics such as what Autism entails, social communication and interaction in Autistic individuals, sensory difficulties, Autism and employment, and the assessment and diagnosis process. The talk also included a first-hand account of the assistance cycle, from assessment to diagnosis and support thereafter. The staff of GO welcomed the gained insight and knowledge.
Health Improvement Commission
COPIED FROM FB POST: Yesterday the joy of cycling was experienced by riders at Saumarez Park who were given the opportunity to try one of a number of specially adapted bikes. The ‘Wheel’s for You event’ supports the aim of giving everyone, regardless of age or ability, a chance of being active and to enjoy the freedom of cycling in an outside location. A wonderful morning for everyone involved.
The bikes will be at the park again on Tuesday 26th September in the morning – to register interest or for more detail contact Caroline Barby, Active 8 Inclusion Officer, Sport and Recreation - caroline.barby@gov.gg or Alex Costen, Active Travel Officer at the Health Improvement Commission – alex.costen@healthimprovement.gg
Thanks to Ian Browns Cycle Shop and GO Re-Use Recycle for supplying and transporting the bikes and all of our volunteers out on the course keeping riders safe. Bailiwick Social Prescribing
September Auction Success
We just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone participating in our auction this week. It was a success and we really appreciate the Guernsey public's support, with pre-bids prior to the event, and bidders on the day. It was nice to see new faces as well as our regulars. Here is some details to share about how things went on the day.
GO unveils a brand-new IT Training Zone & upgraded Cycle Repair Workshop
Our brand-new IT Training Zone has three separate trainee areas to develop new skills. Bespoke training packages will be designed to meet trainees’ specific needs and help them on their journey into paid employment.
All tuition is supervised by Deborah Hollingworth, Training Manager at GO,
Deborah says - “This is a fantastic opportunity for islanders who have been out of the workplace for varying reasons to gain confidence in their ability and develop skills employers are looking for”.
Our enlarged and improved Bike Workshop can now have three trainees working side by side as they upgrade and improve previously unwanted bikes. GO inspect every cycle upon donation and replace necessary parts, such as wheels, tyres, brakes, saddles, cables and chains, to name but a few. All bikes are safety tested before being sold to customers.
Michael Bougourd, Deputy General Manager, says, “Originally, upcycling of bikes was performed with limited facilities; however, recognising the vital gap in the local market for inexpensive, climate-friendly transport and in conjunction with Ian Brown, our new cycle workshop was born.
We now carry out 31 safety checks on each bike, ensuring cycles leave our workshop meeting industry safety standards.”
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Staff Recognition
In recognition of passing their Manual Handling courses, staff were handed their certificates by Sue Whalley, People Director.
Meet the Team - Beth
With all our donated baby items - this gave Beth the opportunity to sort, select, prepare & produce a lovely hamper for a newborn baby boy. What a great training opportunity for Beth.
Relocation
We are on the lookout for new premises to expand the charity’s work.
The intention is to expand the number of trainees who will take advantage of the facilities the charity has now offered for 13 years.
“We are incredibly grateful to J&D Norman Ltd for allowing us to use their property at Quayside on the Bridge for the last 3 years,” said Paul Meader, GO’s Chairman. “It’s been a terrific site that has allowed us to build our training and trading structures. The time has come, however, for us to grow further and our Board is clear that this could be best achieved in a new facility. The work to find new premises has already begun and we would love to hear from anyone who can offer us facilities to continue and expand GO’s good work in helping disadvantaged people in Guernsey access the world of work.”
Talking Benches
We were proud to hand over the latest additions to 'Talking Benches Guernsey' founder, Sarah Bamford. The benches are intended to get people talking about their issues, aid in preventing suicide and could make the difference between a person's life or death.
More benches are coming, and a soon-to-be-created website will share their locations around the island.
Meet the Team - Max
After positive feedback from the previous post. Max now feels confident enough to appear with his newest painting.
Community Bike Event
GO supported MAKING CYCLING MORE ACCESSIBLE at Beau Sejour on Saturday 22nd April. The community event was to raise awareness and to look at cycling options to get everyone cycling and into a healthier lifestyle.
Not accepting certain items
Due to a surplus
We have a large amount of surplus stock and at this time we are unable to accept certain items - see our poster
February 2023 Charity Auction
Most successful Auction ever!
A big thank you to all participants of the successful auction this month. Over 185 lots sold and 82 GO bidders came together to bag themselves a bargain and have some fun at the same time.
We Got New Wheels
Chris Fish and Alliance have donated two vans in 2021 to GO to support our logistics with Longue Hougue and deliveries, in addition to earlier donation providing GO with a new IT system and retail tills to support our move into our new premises
Humming Bird Trust
In May 2021 the Humming Bird Trust, facilitated by Rawlinson and Hunter offered a grant to support our employment of an Administrator to oversee our payroll and administration duties.
Social Investment Fund
In April 2021, GO were the recipients of a grant from the Social Investment Fund to support the creation of Go Online – something we recognise as important to showcase the people we support and the upcycling and recycling elements
Lloyds Bank Foundation
In November 2020, the Lloyds Bank Foundation supported our premises move, relocating 2 retail spaces into one large premise in order to support GO’s ambitions to create capacity for supporting more people into training and full-time employment.
The Guernsey Community Foundation
In July 2020, The Guernsey Community Foundation offered GO support and funding for 2 years for the newly created General Manager role, an essential role one considered critical to take GO to the next stage of its strategy.
The Charity Support Centre
The Charity Support Centre have offered us significant time and effort to improve our accounting and payroll system, offering support and practical assistance during the absence of an administrator. They have also assisted us in overseeing our finances.
Ronez
Ronez, have enabled Mark De Carteret Board Member, to support their community and citizenship agenda, also co-ordinating and sourcing new uniforms at cost for us through their wholesale suppliers
Barclays
Barclays have supported with volunteer make a difference day where a number of our team have helped GO. They are also now engaged to provide Life Skills training and Cyber Security training to the team.
The Norman Family
Adrian Norman and the Norman Family for offering us the premises at KDP to facilitate our new retail and workshop spaces.